The New York Giants have dropped three straight games for the second time this season after a
34-24 loss to the
San Francisco 49ers. In each of these three games, they have allowed 30-plus points.
The main difference between the electrified Giants the country saw in the Week 6 win over the Eagles and the Giants that sit at 2-7 has been a plague of injuries and an extreme lack of depth to fill the shoes of those who’ve been sidelined on either side of the ball.
It is evident that the Giants have plenty of talent on the roster, but they have just as many players who are not ready to be everyday starters. And despite the recent struggles, management didn’t make a peep before the trade deadline.
The Giants must now press forward with who’s available.
The Giants’ Offense Is Somewhat Safe
There are several areas where the Giants’ issues have been addressed. Last year, when Daniel Jones was released, they had Drew Lock and Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito to take over. Judging by the 3-14 finish, things didn’t work out with either of them under center.
This year, they have two starter-caliber quarterbacks backing up their rookie sensation in
Jaxson Dart.
And as much as a blow the
Cam Skattebo injury was to the Giants, they actually have decent depth at the running back position with
Tyrone Tracy Jr., who had a solid rookie campaign last season. Last year, he started in 12 games for the G-Men and accumulated over 1000 yards from scrimmage.
They also have seasoned third-down back
Devin Singletary. Neither of those two can replace the spark Skattebo brought to the locker room and the field, but they are at the very least viable options in the meantime.
The Offensive Line
Be warned. This is where things start to get ugly.
The Giants’ O-Line is the best it’s been in years, and they get better each week. But that’s only when
Andrew Thomas and
Jermaine Eluemunor are present. The first game of the year was without Thomas, where the Giants
allowed 19 pressures. Since his return to health, they have kept the pocket clean enough for Dart’s magic acts.
Mbow has a pass blocking grade of
36.3 and has allowed two sacks and 12 pressures so far this year. He has certainly struggled in his rookie season.
On the other hand, it is time for the Giants to admit that Neal was a bust. He went from first-round pick out of Alabama to being virtually stripped of his role. He showed some promise last year as a run blocker,
ranking eighth in PFF grade among 70 qualifying offensive tackles.
However, it appears Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have lost faith in his ability, but not enough to dump him for value.
And lastly, Hudson, who allowed eight of the 19 pressures in the Week 1 game against Washington, and had the four-penalty meltdown in Dallas the following week.
Beyond the starters, these lineman don’t have much credibility.
Receiving Room of Rejects
The
Malik Nabers injury was a gargantuan pill to swallow for Giants fans and was a catastrophic loss for the receiving room. They have won one full game since Nabers was sidelined against the Chargers.
It is difficult to produce air yards when the lead receiver is
Wan’Dale Robinson and the rest are backups and practice squad players who probably wouldn’t have a roster spot on a team otherwise.
Darius Slayton was the savior when Leek was concussed last year. This year has been a wildly different story. He has 19 receptions on 30 targets for 235 yards this season, and has some notable drops, particularly when bracing his fall.
Jalin Hyatt is another drop-ball specialist. He has only three catches on nine targets and has not been a reliable option. He is another who the organization won’t let go, because they just can’t afford to. There isn’t anybody behind him in line.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey made a big impact in the receiving room weeks ago with a 55-yard performance vs Philadelphia. He has since been sent back down to the practice squad.
And lastly, there’s
Ray-Ray McCloud, who was dropped by the Falcons and scooped by the Giants. His signing was the only real splash the Giants have made since Nabers went down — if you can even call it a splash at all.
Even with the misfits out there running routes, Dart has been able to lead the offense to some solid scoring performances. Drops and incompletions in crucial situations have impaired the Giants’ offense from scoring even more.
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The Defense
The well is absolutely bone-dry in terms of defensive depth, particularly in the secondary. Most of the backups, and even some starters, are extremely young and unpolished — a common theme throughout the locker room.
The Giants’ defense has given up 30-plus points in each of their last three games. Most recently, and mostly due to key injuries, the Giants allowed backup quarterback Mac Jones to complete 19 passes for 235 yards on 24 attempts.
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Jones finished the game with a passer rating of 135.2. This would be his highest since his 2021 rookie campaign in New England, when the Patriots beat the Browns
45-7.
Notable Injuries
Offseason additions Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland have both been sidelined since the blown 33-32 loss in Denver. Their absence was a key contributor to the Broncos comeback.
Cor’Dale Flott has earned his keep as a defensive back this season with a PFF grade of 75.9, ranking him seventh among cornerbacks. With him out of the lineup as well due to a concussion, the Giants are forced to play seventh-round pick Korie Black and Deonte Banks at defensive back.
Black played adequately against San Francisco with eight combined tackles, but hasn’t seen much action aside from that. And Banks has seen significant regression since his encouraging rookie season.
Micah McFadden has also been a big loss for the Giants this year. McFadden was a key component of the run defense last year. Behind him, there isn’t much linebacker depth. It has been mostly Darius Mausau, who has been less than impressive filling in.
Without McFadden, the Giants’ run defense ranks 31st in the league; for a multitude of other reasons, sure. McFadden isn’t the X-Factor, but is a pretty big piece of the puzzle.
Starters Having Trouble
The common theme of youth and inexperience impacts the starters as well. Andru Phillips and Tyler Nubin particularly have not been holding their weight.
Nubin has been questionable as a tackler and in many of his angles. He is not seeing the field as well as he did in college. And Dru has been a pass interference machine with four calls against him this year. He has been playing solid football otherwise. Even with the secondary strung out, Phillips wasn’t very involved.
Both players, like so many others on this Giants roster, show the promise of NFL talent. But potential amounts to nothing until proven, and many of these players are simply not ready to be starters. When players are forced into a role they aren’t ready for, struggle, disappointment and growing pains are unavoidable.
The Giants do have a solid, youthful foundation. Joe Schoen had a home-run 2025 draft, which is something fans wouldn’t have ever conceived could be done.
These players need proper guidance and more experience. But because of the lack of depth, they are being malnourished, and the Giants are suffering in the process.
Fans must be encouraged, knowing high-end talent is there. But it is clear as day to apparently everybody except for management that holes need to be filled and depth needs to be addressed, something they no longer have the opportunity to do.
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